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Grant Street entrance ramp closed, I-74 Iowa-bound traffic forced to one lane

By Monday’s morning commute the Grant Street entrance ramp will be closed. Drivers heading west on Grant Street trying to get onto I-74 towards Illinois w...

By Monday's morning commute the Grant Street entrance ramp will be closed.

Drivers heading west on Grant Street trying to get onto I-74 towards Illinois will be detoured south on 12th Street then east on State Street to use the State Street entrance ramp instead.

The Grant Street entrance ramp is expected to be closed for about a month.

Then, just like they did on the Illinois bound side, all Iowa-bound traffic over the I-74 bridge will be forced down to one lane for at least two weeks.

Officials are urging drivers to use the Zipper Merge to help reduce traffic buildups.

The method works like this: drivers continue using both lanes until they reach the point where they have to merge into one lane. Then, drivers take turns letting cars in one-by-one.

Dan Loussaert, an Iowa State Trooper, said the method will help traffic move faster, but only if everyone is on board.

“We're not saying speed up and hurry, we're just saying keep both lanes moving until you get up to that merge area,” Loussaert said. “It just makes sense and it flows better, and it is the safest and best way to get traffic across in a timely manner.”

Except, not everyone is always willing to cooperate.

WQAD tried the zipper merge during Illinois-bound construction work last week. Some drivers got upset, and one truck driver blocked both lanes so others couldn't cut in front.

Some motorists say they don't think the method will ever work.

“It always seems like [those drivers] are just trying to get in front of everyone, that they're not following a specific rule,” said Mari Grace Alonso, who lives in Silvis.

“It’s not even worth talking about,” said another anonymous viewer. “Some people are just not going to want to let people in and one lane is never going to go forward. You'll end up with more cops showing up to break up fights than anything actually getting solved.”

Officials are asking people to leave plenty of extra travel time for delays and to remain patient and courteous with other drivers.

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